Excessive tearing is more common when the conjunctivitis is due to allergies, or viral action. Allergies like hay fever, pollen, etc., can trigger conjunctivitis and excessive tearing along with running and itchy nose. Tearing is concentrated on both the eyes when it is an allergic reaction.

Conjunctivitis can cause the eyelids to stick together, causing difficulty in opening your eyes in the mornings. This is particularly worse when you have bacterial conjunctivitis where the thick pus can crust around the eyes and glue the eyelids together when it dries. In such cases, a soft cloth dipped in warm water can be used for loosening the pus and opening the eyes.

Pain is caused by the inflammation and infection in the eyes. Though not a serious and unbearable pain, it could be very distressing when you have bacterial conjunctivitis where there is swelling, pus formation, pain, and general malaise which adds to the trouble. Pain can be relieved with the help of warm or ice compress.

Photophobia or sensitivity to light can be a particularly distressing symptom of conjunctivitis. This is caused due to the inflammation of the eyes. The patient will have difficulty in looking at even normal or everyday light when suffering from conjunctivitis. This could be particularly severe in the morning when you wake up as the eyelids are crusted and full of pus.

Infection of the conjunctiva can affect the eyelids in many ways. The eyelid will be red and swollen in many cases and this makes the eyes difficult to open. Swollen eyelids can also put pressure on the eye surface, causing the friction to intensify and most people have a grainy feeling inside their eyes due to inflammation and infection.

Discharge from the eyes is a common symptom associated with bacterial, viral, or allergic conjunctivitis. However, the discharge will be different in each case. When the conjunctivitis is caused by bacterial action, the discharge will be very thick, with a yellowish or greenish color. Bacterial conjunctivitis affects both the eyes instead of one eye. Viral conjunctivitis mostly affects only one eye and the discharge will be clear and not very thick. For allergic conjunctivitis, which sets in along with a running or stuffy nose, there would be more of tearing of the eyes as well as runny nose and not a discharge as such. Discharge also causes blurred vision due to the layer of pus that is deposited on the surface of the eyes.

Burning of the eyes is another symptom that is associated with infection and inflammation of the conjunctiva. Burning is accompanied by itching and pussy discharge, which creates a lot of discomfort in the sufferer. Burning sensation is more common in bacterial and viral conjunctivitis due to the action of the germs. For bacterial conjunctivitis, antibiotic treatment is necessary to cure the infection.

Itching is a major symptom of all kinds of eye infections. Itching will lead to scratching and rubbing of the eyes, which will only aggravate the condition and lead to more redness, pain, and inflammation. Itching is more common when the conjunctivitis is caused due to allergies. In allergic conjunctivitis, there would also be other connected symptoms like itchy, running, or stuffy nose.

Any irritation in the eye is immediately followed by redness. The redness associated with conjunctivitis is due to the infection of the conjunctiva due to allergies, bacterial, or viral action. It is the dilated blood vessels on the surface of the eye that causes the red or pink color during the infection. All kinds of infection will lead to the dilation of these blood vessels causing inflammation and redness.